New FPV Falcon range: Australia's fastest car yet poised

The FPV F6 launches on June 1, 2008 as part of FPV’s new FG Falcon-based range and is expected to accelerate faster than the just-introduced HSV 6.2-litre V8 Commodores.

FPV, as well as part owner Ford Australia, have a policy of not providing performance figure claims for their cars, but an FPV source told Drive.com.au that the higher-powered version of Ford’s XR6 Turbo is capable of sprinting from 0-100km/h in the high-four-second bracket.

Our insider says he would be surprised if independent performance testing by motoring media didn’t see the F6 at least match the 4.8 seconds BMW claims for the V8-powered BMW M3. That would pip HSV’s claim of 4.96sec for its updated, 6.2-litre V8 range.

In the FPV F6 sedan and ute, the 4.0-litre turbo six-cylinder now delivers 310kW of power (up 40kW) and 565Nm of torque (up 15Nm) thanks mainly to a new air intake system, revised turbocharger, and an increase in boost pressure.

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It means HSV retains the bragging rights to having the most powerful car, though FPV argues that its cars offer better real-world performance.

“We’re not in a biggest badge on the boot race with HSV,” says FPV boss Rod Barrett. “Our lastest generation of engines deliver the ideal combination of real-world performance, driveability and fuel efficiency."

Fuel economy figures for FPV's turbo six-cylinder and V8 engines have improved by 7 and 5 per cent respectively.

The FPV F6 sedan’s fuel consumption has been reduced from 13.0 litres per 100km to 12.1L/100km/h (auto; 12.3L/100km for manual). The FPV GT sedans improve from 14.7 to 14.0L/100km in auto guise (14.2 manual).

There are also significant price hikes for the new FPV range, with the FPV F6 manual sedan increasing the most - by more than 10 per cent to $65,990.

Price increases for other models range from $3000 to $5580 (see specifications at end of story for full pricing details).

All FPV models receive some extra equipment over the models they replace, however – most notably the addition of standard stability control.

After stability control debuted on an FPV for the first time in early 2008 on the Territory-based F6X, all the company’s sedans and utes now feature as standard the potentially life-saving technology (it helps prevent a skid when cornering by braking individual wheels).

Most FPV models come standard with the same new six-speed manual fitted to the new FG Falcon XR8, while the highly regarded (German engineered) ZF six-speed automatic is a no-cost option.

The FPV F6 and FPV GT models are now priced identically for the first time (the V8-powered GT was previously more expensive).

“We’re no longer saying one is better than the other,” says FPV boss Barrett. “It’s now the customer’s choice [whether they prefer the turbo six-cylinder or V8].”

FPV still expects the V8-powered models to dominate sales, however. The company says it expects V8-powered models to account for 71 per cent of total sales, with the three-tier GT range accounting for 43 per cent. FPV is forecasting that the FPV F6 sedan will comprise 20 per cent of sales.

Ford’s go-fast division sold 2127 vehicles in 2007 and will say only that it expects to sell more in 2008.